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The historic center of the Ukrainian port city of Odessa has been inscribed in UNESCOās list of endangered World Heritage sites
ā¬ļøĀ STARTER
āCollateral benefitā: Could Putin's launching a failed war make the world better?
Consider the inverse of "collateral damage." Envision Russia's defeat and the triumph of a democratic coalition offers reflection on the most weighty sense of costs and benefits.
The concept of collateral damage has developed in the course of so-called "asymmetricalā wars, fought between opponents considered unequal.
The U.S. drone which targeted rebel fighters in Afghanistan, and annihilated an entire family gathered for a wedding, appears to be the perfect example of collateral damage: a doubtful military gain, and a certain political cost. One might also consider the American bombing of Normandy towns around June 6, 1944 as collateral damage.
But is it possible to reverse the expression, and speak of "collateral benefits"? When applied to an armed conflict, the expression may seem shocking.
No one benefits from a war, which leaves in its trace a trail of dead, wounded and displaced people, destroyed cities or children brutally torn from their parents.
And yet the notion of "collateral benefits" is particularly applicable to the war that has been raging in Ukraine for almost a year.
There are the "benefits" that seem obvious and have already been the subject of many commentaries. And there are others, more indirect, but just as important, that deserve a more in-depth analysis.
Among the obvious benefits, is Putinās āfeatā of getting unified, wealthy democracies to rally behind Ukraine. In trying to neutralize and even annex Ukraine, Putin unintentionally encouraged Sweden and Finland to join NATO while pushing Germany and Japan to reconsider their respective security policies on a fundamental level. And NATO itself has emerged, thanks to Russia, from its ābrain-deadā state to gain, through its original mission, a new energy. The war has also allowed Ukrainians, through blood and tears, to crystallize their identity through real, on-the-ground victories, from the north to the south and the east of their country.
But it would certainly be simplistic to explain the current reluctance of Beijing and Belgrade to embark on a military adventure by the sole counter-example of the Russian experience. Can Xi Jinping's China fight on two fronts at once, against COVID-19 at home and against Taiwan, supported by its American ally, abroad? Can Serbia, which is looking more and more towards the European Union in the wake of Croatia's entry into the Eurozone, reconcile its global ambition with nationalist irredentism?
In both cases, the counter-example provided by the Russian experience in Ukraine helps to re-enforce the side of those who think that it is urgent to wait before choosing the path of war. We know how a war starts. We never know when it ends and in what state.
For the Balkans, the main factor that protects against recourse to war is neither Belgradeās hope of European integration nor the war in Ukraine, but the looming memories of the Balkan wars.
In order to understand the Balkans in 2023, it is probably appropriate to recall the Spain of the 1970s, the years before and after the death of General Franco. The title of Alain Resnais' 1966 film, The War is Over, foreshadowed the state of mind of the majority of Spaniards.
In the Balkans, the images of Ukraine awaken memories of the Srebrenica massacre for some, and of the NATO bombing of Belgrade for others. The psychoanalyst Boris Cyrulnik, who as a young child experienced the horrors of World War II, described in a radio interview the profoundly destabilizing impact of the images and sounds of the war in Ukraine on his own psyche. It was as if his past had suddenly resurfaced, disturbing him but also reinforcing his conviction that peace was a precious and rare commodity, to be preserved like a treasure ā but not at the cost of betraying its values.
Beyond the notions of damage and benefits, there are areas of the world where it is safer to use the national of "collateral uncertainties." Thus it would be tempting to say that China in central Asia, and Turkey in the Caucasus will be the great beneficiaries of Russian military failures in Ukraine.
One could also think that, as Russia has demonstrated the gap between its ambitions and its means, the world will gradually return to a more classic bipolar confrontation between the only two major powers: the United States and China. Could the ultimate collateral benefit of Russiaās unfortunate military advance in Ukraine be to clarify the international system in its new bipolarity?
Such a conclusion predicts, of course, that the Russian defeat "will go well" and will not be accompanied by jolts or perilous escalations. This is not 1917 or 1991. In 1917, the civil war led to the fall of the Tsarist regime and Russia's withdrawal from the First World War. But America's entry into the war on the side of the Allies more than made up for Russian failure.
In 1991, the USSR had only briefly survived the return of Europe, kidnapped into the realm of democracy. What will happen in 2023? It would be very optimistic to think that the main beneficiary of the war in Ukraine will be the Russian people themselves ā who could finally freely choose their leaders.
ā Dominique MoĆÆsi / Les Echos
š²Ā OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ
What do you remember from the news this week?
1. What has angered Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a recent Stockholm protest?
2. Who was the latest U.S. politician to have confidential documents found at their place?
3. Which famed site did Peru close due to protests, leaving some 400 tourists stranded there?
4. Which pop icon sold the rights to their song catalog for a whopping $200 million? Madonna / Justin Bieber / Rihanna
[Answers at the bottom of this newsletter]
#ļøā£Ā TRENDING
To encourage Germany to finally supply Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv, Ukrainian stars, online influencers and private companies launched a cheeky #freetheleopards campaign by wearing leopard-print clothing. The trend, which quickly gained traction on Instagram and Facebook, carried on even after Berlin agreed to deliver the tanks, in a show of gratitude.
šĀ 5 CULTURE THINGS TO KNOW
ā¢ U.S. returns to Italy $20-million worth of seized artifacts: Sixty ancient artifacts dating from the seventh century B.C. to the first century A.D., and worth $20 million, were returned from the United States to Italy. The items were seized by American officials over the past 14 months from the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as private collections, after collecting evidence that the artworks had been illegally looted from Italian archeological sites.
ā¢ UNESCO designates Odessa as endangered World Heritage site: The historic center of the Ukrainian port city of Odessa has been inscribed in UNESCOās list of endangered World Heritage sites āto protect this city from greater destruction.ā Russia criticized the move from the United Nations cultural agency, saying it was āpolitically motivated.ā
ā¢ Everything Everywhere All At Once leads Oscars nominations: The nominees for the 95th annual Academy Awards were announced this week, with absurdist comedy-drama Everything Everywhere All At Oncesnatching 11 nominations, followed by The Banshees of Inisherin and All Quiet on the Western Front. Meanwhile, Indiaās RRR scored a nomination in the original song category for its title track āNaatu Naatuā ā a first for an Indian-made film.
ā¢ āWorld of Warcraftā game goes offline for Chinese players: Millions of gamers in China suddenly lost access to role-playing epic World of Warcraft and other popular video games, following a dispute between U.S. developper Blizzard and its local partner NetEase. Blizzardās games had been available in the country since 2008.
ā¢ Londonās Royal Opera House cuts ties with BP: The Royal Opera House announced it had severed its sponsorship relationship with oil giant BP after 33 years, following similar moves from the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Portrait Gallery in recent years to renounce funding from major fossil fuel producers. This leaves the British Museum and Science Museum isolated as two of the last major arts institutions in the UK still receiving funding from the firm.
š·šŗĀ Wagner mercenaries and the risks of desertion
Tens of thousands of Russian prisoners convicted of the most brutal crimes have escaped from the frontlines after volunteering in exchange for freedom, and are seeking political asylum thanks to a "cleared" criminal record. Ukrainian journalist Anna Akage takes a closer look at the devious tactics of the Wagner group to hide the number of soldiers who have deserted or defected to Ukraine.
Read the full story: Wagner's MIA Convicts: Where Do Deserting Russian Mercenaries Go?
š āĀ Foreign buyers targeted by governments
Canada has become the most recent country to impose restrictions on non-residents buying real estate, arguing that wealthy investors from other countries are pricing out would-be local homeowners. But is singling out foreigners the best way to face a troubled housing market? This international roundup goes into the reasons behind this widespread phenomenon destined to protect struggling locals from wealthy foreign investors hungry for assets.
Read the full story: Why More Countries Are Banning Foreigners From Buying Real Estate
šŖĀ What weighs on every parent
āAs a father myself, I'm now better able to understand the pressures my own dad faced. It's helped me face my own internal demands to constantly be more productive and do better.ā In this essay about the pressures of parenthood, Argentinian Journalist Ignacio Pereyra delves into sensitive topics that virtually every parent knows, from work exhaustion to lack of time and comfort to financial struggles.
Read the full story: Parenthood And The Pressure Of Always Having To Be Doing Better
šŖ BRIGHT IDEA
Engineers at Soochow University in China have developed a fabric inspired by the humps of camelids, which could be extremely useful for firefighters in close proximity to flames. As the New Scientist reports, this is an "insulating fabric made of pockets filled with an aerogel, in which the gel is replaced by a gas surrounded by two layers of heat-resistant plastic polymers."
šš SMILE OF THE WEEK
Dutch luxury fashion house Viktor & Rolf turned haute couture upside down (quite literally) with its gravity-defying dresses, presented at the Spring-Summer 2023 show of the Paris Haute Couture Week.
š¹ THIS HAPPENED VIDEO ā TODAY IN HISTORY, IN ONE ICONIC PHOTO
ā”ļø Watch the video: THIS HAPPENED
š OTHERWISE
Hereās the latest DottorĆ©! piece from the notebook of Neapolitan psychiatrist and writer Mariateresa Fichele:
A newborn dies, a mother's blame
They say that childbirth is, and must necessarily be, the most beautiful thing in the world.
So beautiful that it justifies all the hardships a mother must endure, without complaining or expecting relief from the pain. So beautiful that after it has happened, you are not even allowed to rest because you have to keep the baby with you to breastfeed.
So beautiful that if, exhausted as you are, you fall asleep, and the child tragically dies in your arms, you wouldn't even notice it or be able to wake up. And once you open your eyes and they tell you that your child is no longer there, there comes the insinuation that maybe you fell asleep not just because you were exhausted by all the pain and sleep deprivation, but also perhaps you were under the influence of some substance.
They say that childbirth is, and must necessarily be, the most beautiful thing in the world. May those who say that be cursed.
ā”ļø Read more from our DottorĆ©! series on Worldcrunch.com
ā©Ā LOOKING AHEADĀ
ā¢ U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to visit Israel and the West Bank next week for private meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
ā¢ Trade unions in France called for fresh protests and strikes starting from Jan. 31 to oppose the French governmentās controversial plan to hike the retirement age. The upcoming winter holidays could be affected as French ski resort workers are expected to join the movement.
ā¢ The Australian Open will conclude this weekend with the Women's and Menās Singles Finals as well as the Mixed and Men's Doubles Finals in Melbourne.
ā¢ Microsoft is removing Windows 10 Home and Pro downloads from sale ā but worry not, Windows 10 will continue to be supported until its end of life in October 2025.
News quiz answers:
1. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was angered by images showing a Danish far-right extremist burning a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, calling it āa disgrace.ā
2. A dozen classified documents were found at the Indiana home of former Vice President Mike Pence, who turned the records over to the FBI.
3. Peruās government has closed tourist access to the Machu Picchu site indefinitely āto protect tourists and citizensā amid ongoing protests demanding President Dina Boluarteās resignation.
4. American singer Justin Bieberhas sold the rights to his publishing and artist royalties from his song catalog to investment company Hipgnosis for a reported $200 million.
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*Photo: Yana Hurskaya
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Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.
Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.
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